I love college towns. The university I attended, a small liberal arts college in Tennessee known as the University of the South, remains in my memory as a place of promise and hope for the future, even though I graduated (many!) years ago.
That’s what I think all of us experience in our minds, even if it’s only for a little while, when we visit a college or university town.
It might be a place like Athens, Georgia, where tens of thousands of students attend the University of Georgia, or a much smaller place like Sewanee where I went, but still the feeling is the same — special, because it takes us back to a version of ourselves when we’re still filled with potential.
Races in college towns give us the chance to experience it again, even if it’s only for a few hours. Our Carissa Liebowitz put together this great list below, but we’d love to hear your list as well — where are some great college towns where you’ve run, or would like to?
1) AthHalf • Athens, GA
There’s probably no more iconic college town in America than Athens, Georgia, the home of the University of Georgia. Here, you’ll take in the unique architecture, neighborhoods and the rolling green spaces of the ‘Classic City,’ and run past Sanford Stadium, the home of the Bulldogs.
October • More race info here »
2) Marshall University Half Marathon • Huntington, WV
If you’ve ever seen the Matthew McConaughey-Matthew Fox film “We Are Marshall,” then you have an excellent picture of what this race is like for the thundering herd of runners along its green, tree-lined campus — a fast, flat run that race organizers say is a “perfect” qualifier for Boston.
November • More race info here »
3) Princeton Half Marathon • Princeton, NJ
World-renowned Princeton University (pictured in the photo above) served as the filming location for 2001’s Academy Award-winning “A Beautiful Mind” and was also the home of Albert Einstein in his later years. The race will even take you by his house.
October • More race info here »
4) Notre Dame Holy Half Marathon • South Bend, IN
Designed as a fundraiser for nonprofits like the South Bend Center for the Homeless and the Michiana Down Syndrome, which serves people and families living with Down Syndrome, the Holy Half Marathon unfolds through the campus made famous on-screen in 1993’s “Rudy”.
April • More race info here »
5) Bearathon Half Marathon • Waco, TX
The organizers say it’s “the hardest half-marathon in the state of Texas,” and many runners say it’s true. Following a circuitous out-and-back loop, this race that takes runners from the stately, tree-lined campus of Baylor University on a tour of the city along the Brazos River.
March • More race info here »
6) Purdue Boilermaker Half Marathon • West Lafayette, IN
Long stretches along the wide, scenic Wabash River are a signature of this race, which runs at the home of Purdue University along an out-and-back loop course with a combination of hills and flat stretches both through the university campus as well as several city parks.
October • More race info here »
7) Berry Half Marathon • Rome, GA
What race organizers say is the largest college campus in the world (at 28,000 acres) is the setting for this race, which takes runners on a tour of this college’s hilly, wooded campus set in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains.
March • More race info here »
8) UC Half Marathon • Charleston, WV
This double-loop race begins and ends on the University of Charleston campus, a small private university that’s home to just over 2,000 students. Fast and flat, the race course hugs the Kanawha River and is virtually free of hills, making it the perfect event to notch a PR after a hard winter.
March • More race info here »
9) Berkeley Half Marathon • Berkeley, CA
You’ll run through one of the most famous college campuses in America at the Berkeley Half Marathon, where student protests played a pivotal role in the civil rights and Vietnam War debates of the 1960s and 70s. The course for the race features some of the city’s and the university’s most iconic and scenic spots, including Telegraph Avenue and the waterfront.
November • More race info here »
